


they grow too much

by transpeterparker (partlycharlie)



Series: pride month 2k19 [13]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, Bisexual May Parker (Spider-Man), Bisexual Pepper Potts, Elementary School, F/F, Graduation, Nostalgia, SEE?????? THERE YOU GO. THERE IT IS. JEEz., Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Morgan Stark, ah well, i cannot BELIEVE that's not a tag, just generally tbh she's fucking great, listen for that one i knew it wasn't going to be a tag but i'm still vaguely disappointed, the relationship is minor but it is THERE okay!!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 18:41:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19301557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/partlycharlie/pseuds/transpeterparker
Summary: "Ha, yeah - I’ve tried everything, let me tell you. Threatening -""No veggies, right? I hear they encourage growth.""- right, and definitely no milk. I dunno, though - she just won’t stop. It’s getting kind of ridiculous."





	they grow too much

**Author's Note:**

> !!!!!! IT'S 12:08 LET ME LIVE OKAY????? I WROTE THIS IN THE LAST LIKE. THREE HOURS IDK IM PROUd 
> 
> (i have to go take a shower hgbusoljgbao)
> 
> uh. hope u enjoy! there's no warnings i think but let me know if you find something i guess

_ The scene:  _

_ Stage left and right - a set of risers on each side, empty for now. They are there to hold the fifty-odd squirming graduating fifth-graders, all of them dressed in their Sunday (or Saturday, or Wednesday) best, absolutely none of them entirely comfortable. _

_ Stage center: A large homemade banner reads “CLASS OF 2028 -- PS 346”. A collection of ten-year-old sized handprints litter the bottom, all in different colors. Some are glittery. There are five adult sized handprints, all labeled - Miss Mindy, Miss Kate, Miss Josephine, Miss Abby, and Miss Claire. A hologram sits below it. It reads: “Welcome Parents, Siblings, and Extended Family!” MISS ANALISA, one of the school’s aides, sits next to the hologram on her computer. _

_ The pit: A podium to the audience’s left. PRINCIPAL JOSEPH CORMACK (Principal Joe, as he’s known by most of the school) stands behind it, talking to MISS ELIZABETH, presumably about the stack of papers in his hand. On stage right, a number of seats, maybe fifteen, sectioned off as for “The Fifth Grade Band!”. Instrument cases sit on most of the seats. A keyboard, a piano, a drum set. There are seven or eight music stands scattered through the seats with sheet music on them, all flipped to the same page. _

_ The house doesn’t have conventional seats - this is not a conventional play (musical, maybe; however you wish to define a fifth-grade graduation is up to you). Instead, folding chairs sit in rows a couple of feet away from the pit. There are only fifteen minutes until the start of the ceremony, and the majority of the seats are filled. _

_ PETER BENJAMIN PARKER, a brother, and VIRGINIA “PEPPER” POTTS, a mother, sit together on two folding chairs in the the second row, behind the parents of ANDREW ZHENG. There’s an empty seat next to PEPPER, held with her purse and an umbrella. PEPPER checks her phone for the third time in the last five or so minutes. Her mouth twists - she’s seeing something that she doesn’t like, or maybe not seeing something that she thinks she should. PETER knocks on her shoulder, grinning at her when she turns to face him. _

**PETER B. PARKER**   
All good there?

_ PEPPER sighs, and PETER slings an arm around her shoulder, rubbing out a knot. _

**PEPPER “VIRGINIA” POTTS** _  
_ Yeah - just, May was supposed to be here a couple of minutes ago, and she hasn’t texted me yet.

**PETER**   
Ah. Eh, I’m sure she’ll be here - she wouldn’t miss the kid’s graduation for anything. Try not to worry so much, okay? You’re only 25 - you don’t need those wrinkles on your forehead.

_ PETER leans over and smooths out the wrinkle forming on PEPPER’s face, smiling softly at the crease that’s left behind. PEPPER’s face relaxes.  _

**PEPPER** **  
** Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, honey.

**PETER**   
No problem. 

_ The fifth grade classes are lining up outside of the auditorium; PETER and PEPPER both turn to look. PEPPER checks her phone again - no notifications. She turns the screen off - she’ll come when she comes. _

_ There’s a lull in conversation, but neither of them mind. After a couple of seconds, PETER freezes, remembering something he probably should’ve thought of earlier. _

**PETER (CONT’D)**   
_ (sheepishly)  _ By the way - what is the kid going by right now? I can never remember.

_ PEPPER hums, smiling. _

**PEPPER** **  
** Oh, it’s still Morgan - kind of looks like this one is going to stick, actually.

**PETER** **  
** Huh, really? It’ll be -

**PEPPER** **  
** Six months, yeah.

**PETER** **  
** Six months. Damn. This is the longest she’s ever stuck with a name so far.

**PEPPER** **  
** Yeah.

**PETER** **  
** Still she, right? There was a while there… 

_ There’s a pause, both of them remembering.  _

_ It had been tough for a while, after - after Tony. MORGAN - well, DAVEY back then, like PEPPER’s father David - DAVEY had insisted on being called Tony, and he refused to respond to anything else for almost a year and a half. He flickered after that - JAMIE, SKYLAR, ABBY, CAROLINE… the list goes on. He switched to she sometime between NOAH and EVE (she went through a religious phase), and everything started to make a lot more sense. _

**PEPPER** **  
** Still she, yeah.

_ MAY PARKER, a mother walks in, squeezing past MISS JOSEPHINE with a whispered apology. She power-walks through the rows, looking around for PETER and PEPPER and waving when she sees them. _

**MAY PARKER** **  
** Hey - hey, Pete, hey. Sorry I’m late - got tied up at work, some asshole -

**PETER**   
Language!

_ MAY rolls her eyes and flips him off. PETER laughs. _

**MAY (CONT’D)**   
\- got a Q-tip stuck in his belly button, or something.

**PEPPER**   
No worries - just. Come, sit, it’s about to start.

_ PEPPER waves MAY into the row, placing the umbrella on the floor in front of her and her purse on her lap. MAY shuffles in and drops down into the seat, letting out a groan of relief. _

**PETER**   
_ (jokingly) _ Tired?

**MAY** **  
** Ha. You have no idea.

_ MAY presses a kiss to PEPPER’s cheek, then wraps her arm around PEPPER’s shoulder. PEPPER leans into her, sinking into the embrace like she’s been missing it all day. (Maybe she has.) MAY squeezes PETER’s right shoulder, and he smiles at her. _

**MAY**   
_ (lowly) _ Have I missed anything?

**PETER**   
Unless you consider Nick Ayon’s parents gossiping about Jordan Bales’ sneakers, no.

_ MAY snorts. _

**MAY**   
Ah, damn. I was really looking forward to hearing about that.

_ PETER laughs quietly - before he can reply, though, PRINCIPAL JOE taps on the microphone. All three of them turn to the front, along with the other family members - it’s about to start. _

__

\---

 

_ PETER, PEPPER, and MAY watch as MORGAN plays with one of the balloons they had released during the ceremony, pretending to wack one of her friends with it. _

_ PEPPER’s phone is open to the camera app - if someone were to open the gallery, they would see some sixty photos and ten videos, maybe. MAY is dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. PETER is smiling helplessly. _

**PETER**   
Good lord.

**PEPPER**   
I know, right?

**PETER**   
I can’t believe she’s done with elementary. It feels like yesterday I was taking her in for first grade. Shit.

**PEPPER**   
Yeah.

**MAY**   
She needs to stop growing.

_ They all laugh, soft and a little tearful. _

**PEPPER** **  
** Ha, yeah - I’ve tried everything, let me tell you. Threatening -

**PETER**   
No veggies, right? I hear they encourage growth.

**PEPPER** **  
** \- right, and definitely no milk. I dunno, though - she just won’t stop. It’s getting kind of ridiculous.

**MAY**   
Yeah.

_ They watch her for a little while longer. _

**PEPPER** **  
** _ (wistful)  _ God, she really is the spitting image of Tony, isn’t she?

**PETER** **  
** ‘Specially with that new haircut, yeah. She’s got your nose, though.

**PEPPER** **  
** You think?

**PETER** **  
** Oh, for sure. She’s got more of your mannerisms, I think.

_ PEPPER looks doubtful. _

**PEPPER** **  
** Mmm. Yeah, maybe.

**PETER** **  
** I mean - her face when she gets angry, that’s all you.

**PEPPER** **  
** _ (sarcastic)  _ Oh ha ha, very funny.

**PETER**   
No, I’m serious! That’s not even an insult. It’s cute when she does it.

**PEPPER**   
Are you implying it’s not cute when I do it?

_ PETER sputters for a bit, trailing to a stop when he sees PEPPER and MAY laughing at him. _

**PETER** **  
** Oh, whatever. You know what I mean.

**MAY** **  
** “Oh, whatever?” Honey, I think you’re regressing.

**PETER** **  
** Yeah, yeah. You ready to get her?

**PEPPER** **  
** Yeah. Yeah, let’s go get our girl.

**Author's Note:**

> <3 love you guys!!!!!!! yeehaw
> 
> im so tired and also emotional MY BROTHER GRADUATED TODAY. THIS WAS A VERY INSPIRED PIECE. UGHOSJKBSHEFWAOLKFNJBK


End file.
